“A Justice-
Seeking Woman in the Gospels Inspires Justice Seekers Today”
By Bishop Bridget
Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Today we celebrate a justice-seeking woman in scripture. Today we celebrate justice-seeking ordinands in the Association of Roman Catholic Women
Priests. We will not relent until Gospel equality and justice is a
reality in our church and world.
In Luke’s Gospel we encounter a justice-seeking widow badgering a
corrupt judge until he relents and does the right thing. According to scholars, this widow is a
courageous woman without resources or family members to assist in her appeal
for justice. During this time and culture, a male relative would have
accompanied a woman in a court case. In
this story of Gospel equality and social justice, a courageous woman wins
justice by her persistent effort. Unafraid to confront a corrupt judicial
system slated against her, she refuses to quit, until justice is done. Neither will we!
The persistent widow is a role model for all who are
seeking justice within our church and society.
As Isaiah reminds us, we are called to be God’s compassion to
those in need of comfort and liberation. Like deacon Phoebe, whom Paul praised
as an outstanding leader in the church, we are called to lead our church today
into a new era of Gospel equality and partnership, one with the community of
the baptized.
Today we rejoice as we ordain 4 justice seekers.
Rita Lucey of Orlando, a member of Pax Christi, has been married for
63 years. She is a mother of four, grandmother of six and great-grandmother of three. As a justice-seeking woman and human
rights activist Rita spent six months in federal prison to close the U.S. Army
School of the Americas. Because of her witness for justice issues and her experience
in prison she advocated for women in prison and served as a Hospice Volunteer
for 25 years. As a priest, Rita will celebrate sacraments in the homes of Catholics who feel alienated from the Church.
Kathryn Shea of Sarasota, is a mother of two children and
grandmother of two grandchildren. She
has been married nearly 30 years to Stephen, an ordained minister of the
Disciples of Christ. As a
justice-seeking woman, Kathryn protested US nuclear arms build-up and
interference in Central America, and was arrested and jailed for civil
disobedience numerous times. Kathryn, who is the president and CEO of the
Florida Center for Child and Family Development in Sarasota, FL, is a
passionate activist for the healthy development of young children, especially
children at-risk. As a deacon, she will serve Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive
Catholic Community in Sarasota, Florida as a member of the liturgical ministry
team.
Jim Marsh of Albany, NY and St. Petersburg, FL has served
his local church communities as Parish Councilor, Lector, Eucharistic Minister,
and Religious Educator. In
the early 1980s, as a gay man, he was involved in establishing a local DIGNITY
Chapter in the Capital District region of NY where he served as a sacramental
coordinator. As a justice-seeking man, he worked to create a viable Eucharistic
community for those of many faith traditions who were “on the margins” of
society and called “disordered” by church authorities. As a deacon, Jim will
continue his ministry of service with others in promoting inclusive,
egalitarian, justice-seeking communities of faith, inspired by Sophia-Wisdom.
Mary Catherine White of Gorham, New Hampshire, has been married to
her soul mate, Adam White, since 2006. She has two adult daughters and a five
year old grandson. For nearly twenty years, Mary wore many hats in her local
Catholic faith community: Director of Religious Education; Spiritual Director;
RCIA Coordinator; Small Faith Community Coordinator; Minister of Communion who
presided at Communion Services in the pastor's absence; Liturgical Dancer, and
Choir member. As a justice-seeking woman, Mary is a member of a blossoming
inclusive Catholic community that has called her to serve as its priest. She looks forward to her ministry with
the people of New Hampshire's North Country.
The good news is according to polls, close to 70% of U.S.
Catholics support women priests. Even Cardinal O’Malley in his 60 Minutes
interview with Norah O’Donnell, said he favors women priests: “If I were
founding a church, I’d love to have women priests. But Christ founded it, and
what he has given us is something different.”
Let’s examine the evidence in the bible and Vatican
scholarship,
First, Jesus was not a priest, nor did Jesus ordain anyone a
priest. The apostles were not priests or bishops. Jesus called women and men to
be disciples, and treated them as partners and equals. In all four gospels,
Mary Magdalene was the primary witness to the central event of Christianity —
Christ’s resurrection.
Second:
in early Christianity,
scholars conclude that women served as deacons, priests and bishops. (See Gary
Macy, The Hidden History of Women's Ordination and Dorothy Irvin's
archaelogical researach)
Third: in 1976, the Vatican’s own Pontifical Biblical Commission
stated that there is no theological basis to exclude women from the priesthood.
Fourth: according to Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, #29) “every type
of discrimination … based on sex … is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary
to God’s intent.”
Does a teaching that states women can receive six sacraments
and men can receive seven sacraments indicate that discrimination is a core
issue here?
The bottom line is: the church cannot continue to discriminate
against half of its membership, and blame Jesus for it.
When the institutional church prohibits ordination and fails to
treat woman as spiritual equals at every level, it thereby, gives permission to
the rest of the world to oppress and dominate women. We must make the
connection between discrimination against women in the church and abuse,
violence, and gender injustice the world.
In the church’s recent Synod on the Family, women were not only
missing from the all male, celibate voting bishops, but also, missing in the
final document on church teachings that will affect women’s lives around the
globe.
Journalist Angela Bonavoglia writes the following stinging
critique of the Synod on the Family in an article entitled “Where Are the
Women? “There were passing references to violence against women in the family
and in the world in the final Synod document, but nowhere do the Church fathers
make a moral case for protecting women from such violence in their own homes
and supporting them in leaving such relationships… This omission is doubly
concerning coming from a church that forces childbirth on unwilling women by
supporting laws that block access to birthcontrol…” (Where Are the Women? By Angela
Bonavoglia | November 20, 2014 http://www.womensmediacenter.com/feature/entry/the-synods-final-document-where-are-the-women#.VHKOmUJZXtg.email
In order to be credible, the Synod on the Family must reflect women’s
experiences. They could check in with some of our women priests who are mothers
and grandmothers! We are faithful Catholics who love our church and are offering
it a renewed model of priestly ministry that is non-clerical and
non-hierarchical, one with all in the community of the baptized.
Our movement began with 7 courageous women who were ordained on
the Danube River in 2002. In 2003, our first women bishops were ordained
by a male bishop with apostolic succession. Therefore, our ordinations are
valid, but we are disobeying an unjust male-made canon law that discriminates
against women.
There are now 200 in the international women
priest movement in 10 countries, including 160 in the U.S. serving 60
communities. We celebrate inclusive liturgies with feminine as well as
masculine images of God. All are invited to our Eucharistic table
including LGBTs, and divorced and remarried Catholics. Like Rosa Parks in the
Civil Rights movement we are
breaking an unjust law in the Catholic Church and leading the church into
living Gospel equality now.
In conclusion, I will offer a few examples of how our ARCWP
priests are seeking justice with other justice seekers in the Body of Christ:
At Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community in Sarasota,
women priests and married priests gather around the altar with the entire community
to pray the Eucharistic Prayer. Each week there is a dialogue homily.
In Albany NY, the Inclusive Catholic Community is offering a
spiritual home to many who have walked away from the institutional church. They
are studying scripture scholarship that focuses on the life of Jesus and the
central message of the Gospel. And, they are embracing a theology of blessing
that requires restorative justice and equality for all.
On Nov. 15, 2014, five of our women priests gathered with hundreds
at the gates of Ft. Benning GA. to celebrate a Eucharist of the People on the 25th anniversary of the
Martyrdom of two women coworkers and 6 Jesuits at the University of Central
America in El Salvador in 1989.
Georgia Walker, who was ordained a priest on Jan. 3, 2015 in Kansas City,
crossed the line at the old nuclear bomb parts plant in South Kansas City to
protest the toxic waste dump there. Hundreds of workers either died or are
suffering from major chronic illnesses due to exposure to chemicals at that
site. For her non-violent, justice-seeking action, Georgia was convicted of
trespassing and was sentenced to one-year of unsupervised probation by the
Municipal Court of Kansas City.
Today we celebrate the ordination of Rita, Kathryn Jim, and Mary Catherine, four
prophetic witnesses to Gospel equality.
Like the persistent widow, our women
priests’ movement is a holy shakeup rising up for justice in the Catholic
Church!
Bridget Mary Meehan, D.Min., a Sister for Christian Community, was
ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 31, 2006.
She was ordained a bishop on April 19, 2009. Dr. Meehan is currently Dean
of the Doctor of Ministry Program for Global Ministries University, and is the
author of 20 books, including Living
Gospel Equality Now: Loving in the Heart of God, The Healing Power of Prayer
and Praying with Women of the Bible .
She presides at liturgies in Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
in Sarasota, Florida. Dr. Meehan can be reached at sofiabmm@aol.com and www.arcwp.org
